On Jan. 18, Maggie Rogers released her highly anticipated debut album, “Heard It In A Past Life.” The title just so happens to be a perfect fit — I definitely feel as though I’ve heard it in a past life. Each of the twelve tracks sound like songs I grew up listening to in car rides on the way home from school, but Rogers twists them with a unique indie-pop-folk-emo spin. While this collection is by no means revolutionary, as I was listening I found myself swaying along to a handful of the melodies.
The album’s standout is track five, a catchy, upbeat apology anthem entitled “Light On.” This song has my favorite hook from “Heard It In A Past Life.” Rogers repeats the line “If you leave the light on, then I’ll leave the light on” — one I took as undeniably refreshing, honest, simplistic and relatable. “Light On” is an “I’m sorry” to someone Rogers left out in the cold, perhaps during her rise to fame. The instrumentation is hopeful and energetic, while the more nostalgia-inducing lyrics tell a different story: Rogers will be able to move on if the light is left off.
“Retrograde” is my second favorite song. Rogers describes a situation where she is forced to confront her past when her present relationship ends, stating that “heartache always feels the same.” Throughout the chorus, she clarifies the pain she’s feeling, melancholically singing that she is “finding all the things [she] can’t do without.” Similarly to “Light On,” the instrumentation is not as heavy as the lyrical subject matter. In fact, it is light and airy, flowing from verse to verse seamlessly.
Undoubtedly, “Alaska” is the most famous song from Maggie Rogers’ debut, but not for the reason one might assume. Yes, it is a beautiful song about starting anew with a clear perspective, but it is also quite literally the reason why Rogers got to embark on this chapter of her life in the first place. In 2016, the singer-songwriter was a normal college girl that happened to partake in a masterclass at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. There, Pharrell Williams was the host who listened to and critiqued one song from each participant. Rogers played “Alaska” for him and left him speechless. When the song ended, Pharrell admitted that he had “zero notes”: what she created was a unique work of art. A nine-minute video of the interaction went viral, and Maggie’s life hasn’t been the same since.
Aside from opening for Mumford & Sons next December, Rogers has announced that she will embark on a headlining tour. The tour is scheduled to begin on Oct. 15 and run into early November.
